They all stay close together after they graduate. Sure, they have different schools, jobs, and schedules, but they all manage to keep their friendship strong.
But the one relationship that is the strongest is one he doesn't really expect.
It's not Chad who he sees the most nor is it Ishida who he fights next to. Hell, it's not even Rukia by his side. It's her.
He doesn't know exactly how it happens. Doesn't even know when it starts. But she's there. Always.
And maybe it's because she decided to be there. Or maybe it's because he keeps seeking her out. Maybe he keeps finding ways to keep her with him.
It'd make sense. He's the one inviting her to his place. He's the one using his sisters as excuses to make her stay longer. He's the one offering to walk her home after work. He's the one who keeps stubbornly clinging to her.
But she lets him. And maybe it's because she likes being with him just as much as he likes being with her. Maybe she knows all of his lies and excuses he uses to see her. Maybe that's why she gives into his whims.
Maybe she knows that he's in love with her. Maybe, just maybe, she's in love with him, too.
Or maybe those are all lies and excuses he tells himself to be by her side.
It doesn't really matter, does it? So long as they are together, nothing else seems to matter.